As we get ready for the 40th AIDS Walk New York, we are facing acute new financial and political challenges, from threats of budget cuts for GMHC’s lifesaving services to healthcare access for our clients. We have been here before, and we are undeterred.
Rain or shine, thousands of people will converge on Central Park on Sunday, May 18, united now more than ever by the common cause of sustaining GMHC’s essential programs for New Yorkers living with and affected by HIV and AIDS.
We walk for the 132,000 people in New York City living with HIV. We walk for the over 1,600 New Yorkers diagnosed with HIV each year.
The HIV and AIDS epidemic is not over – and we won’t stop walking until it is.
“As we mark our 40th AIDS Walk New York, during one of the most uncertain times our community has faced, we are more inspired than ever by this powerful showing of forward-moving action and support,” said GMHC’s Chief Operating Officer Kishani Moreno.
“Our promise to our clients and our community is to keep walking until everyone has access to HIV testing, treatment, and care services,” Moreno said. “We won’t stop, and we won’t back down.”
AIDS Walk New York is a show of solidarity against HIV and AIDS stigma. It’s a gathering in remembrance of those we have lost – and it’s an affirmation of our ongoing care for each other through good times and bad, no matter the weather.
As we step up to meet new challenges this year, we are proudly celebrating the joy, resilience, and beauty of our community. Our star-studded pre- and post-Walk festivities have featured Broadway stars, fabulous drag queens, the NYC Gay Men’s Chorus, and even the Pointer Sisters. Join us for the scenic four-mile route through Central Park and stay for a new tradition – the Paradise Garage Dance Party.
AIDS Walk New York in Photos: 2022 – 2024
We Won't Stop
While we are facing new threats to both funding and the well-being of people living with HIV and AIDS, we’ve been here before – and we won’t stop.
When AIDS Walk New York started in 1986, there was no medication to manage and prevent HIV and AIDS – and no cure. We also faced hostile AIDS denialism about the reality of the epidemic. At a time when both our government and civil society turned their backs, Craig R. Miller launched the Walk to raise money for GMHC to care for people who were dying of AIDS-related complications, and to lobby for government research and treatment.
New York’s diverse communities of art, fashion, culture, and commerce enthusiastically joined together to act on our own behalf – just as GMHC’s six founders did when they launched Gay Men’s Health Crisis in 1982.
That first year, over 4,500 walkers raised $710,000 for GMHC. Since then, countless walkers and teams – from the CandyWrappers to the Church of Saint Francis Xavier – have raised $170 million through AIDS Walk New York for GMHC and dozens of HIV and AIDS service organizations in the tri-state area.
While there is still no cure for HIV, we now have effective medications, so people can live long, healthy lives. But the nature of the HIV and AIDS epidemic has changed. It is under-resourced communities who are most affected now, because of barriers to accessing lifesaving HIV testing and medications, as well as stable housing, health care and other services that GMHC delivers. What’s more, HIV and AIDS disproportionately affect people of color: Almost 77% of New Yorkers living with HIV are Black or Latinx.
GMHC has led the way in responding to our clients’ emerging needs. No matter what the future holds, we will continue to provide HIV/STI testing, health care navigation, PrEP connection, supportive housing, nutritious food, mental health and substance use services, legal and immigration support, workforce training — and more — in a safe and non-judgmental space for all who need it.
Your support for AIDS Walk New York ensures that the people you help GMHC to serve will always have a safe haven. Whether it’s $20, $50 – or $1 million, the lifetime fundraising mark for Star Walker Francine Goldstein last year – all donations matter. (Here are Francine’s top 5 fundraising tips!)
Won’t you join us in Central Park this year?
To register for AIDS Walk New York, click here. And click here to donate to your favorite walker or team.
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